Ken Carter, BOLD co-founder and New Orleans' first black assessor, dies at 74

Updated August 7, 2018 at 6:59 PM;Posted August 7, 2018 at 4:42 PM

Ken Carter, pictured with his wife, Gigi, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, at Tulane Medical Center. He was a co-founder of the political organization BOLD and was the city's first black assessor. (Photo courtesy Cheron Brylski)

Kenneth Carter, who rose from a childhood in public housing to become Louisiana's first elected black assessor and a member of the legal team that helped diminish the clout of Big Tobacco, died Friday (Aug. 3) at Tulane Medical Center. He was 74.

His daughter, Tara Hernandez, said her father died from complications of a stroke.

Mr. Carter, one of the founders of the Black Organization of Leadership Development, the political organization better known as BOLD, was elected assessor of the 1st Municipal District in 1985, when New Orleans had seven assessors until consolidating to one in 2011.

He served until 1994, when he left office after an unsuccessful mayoral campaign and went back to practicing law. Mr. Carter, who had formed his own law firm by the time he was 40, was the first black president of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Carter was part of the initial lawsuit that grew into a multistate litigation against cigarette manufacturers, claiming that they had known that nicotine was addictive and manipulated nicotine levels in cigarettes to keep smokers hooked.

They were successful in breaking what had been the tobacco industry's history of invincibility against such litigation.

The national settlement amounted to $206 billion; Louisiana received $4.4 billion to pay for anti-smoking programs and to reimburse Medicaid for treatment of smoking-related illnesses.

Mr. Carter also was busy with real estate investments and raising money for the Democratic Party, said Cheron Brylski, who had worked with him in his run for mayor.

Although Mr. Carter was an active man, Hernandez and others said he always took time to ensure that young people had opportunities that would help them succeed, starting with education.

"He opened doors of opportunity for thousands of students and political activists and his passion and commitment to justice," former Sen. Mary Landrieu said.

Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, praised Mr. Carter because "he took the time to mentor young men and women who sought to make their mark in politics and business. ... New Orleans is a better place because of his many contributions, unselfish spirit and his sacrifice."

Mr. Carter was a leader in the Dryades YMCA, which serves Central City. Before Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005, he was a backer of several efforts to reshape public education.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell described him in a statement as "one of those larger-than-life New Orleanians."

She also praised his daughters' work. Hernandez is a developer whose projects include the Blue Plate Artist Lofts; Karen Carter Peterson is a state senator and the first woman to lead the Louisiana Democratic Party; and Eileen Carter manages the social media department in the city's Office of Communications.

"We mourn his loss," Cantrell said, "but we have faith in his spirit living on through his family."

Kenneth Rene Michael Carter, who was known universally as Ken, was born on July 22, 1944, and grew up in the Calliope Housing Development. He earned scholarships to Xavier Preparatory High School and Loyola University.

Although Mr. Carter had a basketball scholarship to Loyola, his coach said he would not be able to play because other schools' teams would not play with a team with an African-American member, Hernandez said. So he left school, Hernandez said, and took jobs as an auto mechanic, house painter and draftsman before joining a real estate firm, where, Brylski said, his boss told him he would never succeed without a degree.

So he enrolled at the University of New Orleans when he was 29 and went on to graduate from Loyola Law School.

"The guy was resilient," Brylski said. "He was always positive. He never gave up."

Survivors include his wife, Gwendolyn "Gigi" Carter; three daughters; two brothers, Noel and Nathan Carter Sr., both of New Orleans; a sister, Sharon Carter Sheridan of New Orleans; and three grandchildren.

A Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Thursday (Aug. 9) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in St. Francisville, where the Carters lived after his retirement. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m.

A Mass in New Orleans will be held at noon Saturday at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, 1020 N. Prieur St. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m.